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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > General
West Africa's Women of God examines the history of direct
revelation from Emitai, the Supreme Being, which has been central
to the Diola religion from before European colonization to the
present day. Robert M. Baum charts the evolution of this movement
from its origins as an exclusively male tradition to one that is
largely female. He traces the response of Diola to the distinct
challenges presented by conquest, colonial rule, and the
post-colonial era. Looking specifically at the work of the most
famous Diola woman prophet, Alinesitoue, Baum addresses the history
of prophecy in West Africa and its impact on colonialism, the
development of local religious traditions, and the role of women in
religious communities.
The emails in this volume chronicle and document some of the
story presented in the memoir. There are perhaps one hundred or so
more, which may be added in later editions or a separate volume.
The earlier emails demonstrate a far weaker, far less studied
experienced relationship to the topics discussed in the book. Those
in this volume are a good example of the later emails.
There is also a second project by the author with a similar set
of email chronicles. This is TaxTheRichDotName email series and
reflects the author's involvement in recent political efforts to
redress the current distribution of wealth in the country.
For more on either of the Email Chronicles and on both projects,
the reader is referred to http: //www.blamingjaphyrider.com and
http: //www.taxtherich.name.
The blog for Blaming Japhy Rider is at http:
//www.philip.bralich.authorxpress.com
The need for self-inquiry in daily life. Everybody needs sleep for
his survival.If a man does not have sleep adequately he wil go
insane and his life will be in disorder.Similarly everybody needs
meditation in waking state, otherwise his mind and life will be in
disorder.This disorder is quite obvious both inside the mind and so
outside in the preseny world where majority humanity have no idea
or time to do meditation. Meditation is to go beyond thought and
establish ourselves in the being.But we cannot go beyond thought
the mechanics of the working of the "me" which is an isolating and
destructive factor.At present thought is dominating and directing
our way of life. Thought is a reaction of past memories and
experiences and if it is face the challenge in the present which is
always new, it encounters it partially which results in conflict.
So thought as our master of life brings disaster and ego is nothing
but thought. So thought subsides when activity of "me" subsides
which is the result of understanding born out of awareness,
watchfulness in a state of observation in which there is not a
trace of condemnation or justification of what is being observed.
In that passive alertness we listen to the noise of the "me" with
relaxed attention beyond the noise of words without intervening
screen of thoughts, conclusions, prejudices. . Mind is simply a
combination of all the thoughts, of all the clouds. Mind has no
independent nature of its own. When all the thoughts are gone and
the sky is clean and clear, you will see that everything that you
have paid so much attention to is nothing but emptiness. Your
thoughts were all empty. They contained nothing, they were void.
Whatever you thought they contained was your own energy. You have
withdrawn your energy -- just the empty shell of the thought falls
down. You have withdrawn your identity and immediately the thought
is no longer alive. It was your identity that was giving it life
force. And strangely enough, you thought that your thoughts were
very strong and it was difficult to get rid of them You were making
them strong, you were cultivating them. Just by forcing them, you
were getting into a fix. The search for truth is individual and is
not possible in religious congregations. All this is possible in
self-inquiry in which we go beyond thought and establish in the
being and we respond to the challenge in a holistic way and we
attend to the present instead of getting lost in imagination of day
dreaming and we relax totally in being in full awareness.
When using mantra meditation to enter the highest realms of
enlightenment and spiritual realization, this book acts as a guide
to speedy, obstacle-free progress. The focus is on the Hare Krishna
mahamantra with an easy to understand and lively presentation of
how to reach success in one's personal practice.
While there are numerous books providing instructions on how to
meditate, few explore the lived experience of meditation like it is
a phenomenological experiment. Home Grown Buddha is the outcome of
the author's thirteen-year-long adventure in meditation. Like many
adventures, the path of discovery required letting go of numerous
big T truths and replacing them with an intentionally open mind.
The author's insights, which are the result of the direct
experience of non-doing, e.g., sitting purposely with an open mind,
are not meant to be a set of directions, but rather, a signal to
the reader to put aside the rule book and open to the uncooked
feast of the commonplace. While the author intends no sectarian
agenda, there is still grounding in the no-brand traditions of
Buddhism, yoga, mysticism, and modern psychology without the
obfuscation of Sanskrit or Pali terminology. For a novice
meditator, Home Grown Buddha contains a treasure trove of
line-by-line details of particular techniques actually used by the
author in his experiments, as well as a few useful markers
discovered in the mysterious silence of unknowing that is sitting
meditation. These markers are not intended to be hard and fast, but
more like gentle hints to trust the process. The author considers
himself a humble student and only wishes to share his insights with
the reader as a co-meditator and fellow seeker.
The Five Classics associated with Confucius formed the core
curriculum in the education of Chinese literati throughout most of
the imperial period. In this book Michael Nylan offers a sweeping
assessment of these ancient texts and shows how their influence
spread across East Asia. Nylan begins by tracing the formation of
the Five Classics canon in the pre-Han and Han periods, 206
B.C.-A.D. 220, revising standard views on the topic. She assesses
the impact on this canon of the invention of a rival corpus, the
Four Books, in the twelfth century. She then analyzes each of the
Five Classics, discussing when they were written, how they were
transmitted and edited in later periods, and what political,
historical, and ethical themes were associated with them through
the ages. Finally she deliberates on the intertwined fates of
Confucius and the Five Classics over the course of the twentieth
century and shows how the contents of the Five Classics are
relevant to much newer concerns.
This is an endeavor of a Western Christian Episcopalian] to find
teachings of the Church in the East since 1054CE. Many of these are
taken from the time spent during seminary and doctrinal classes.
The enduring wisdom of the Tao Te Ching can become a companion for
your own spiritual journey.Reportedly written by a sage named Lao
Tzu over 2,500 years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the most
succinct - and yet among the most profound - spiritual texts ever
written. Short enough to read in an afternoon, subtle enough to
study for a lifetime, the Tao Te Ching distills into razor - sharp
poetry centuries of spiritual inquiry into the Tao - the "Way" of
the natural world around us that reveals the ultimate organizing
principle of the universe.Derek Lin's insightful commentary, along
with his new translation from the original Chinese - a translation
that sets a whole new standard for accuracy - will inspire your
spiritual journey and enrich your everyday life. It highlights the
Tao Te Ching's insights on simplicity, balance, and learning from
the paradoxical truths you can see all around you: finding strength
through flexibility (because bamboo bends, it is tough to break);
achieving goals by transcending obstacles (water simply flows
around rocks on its way to the sea); believing that small changes
bring powerful results (a sapling, in time, grows into a towering
tree).Now you can experience the wisdom and power of Lao Tzu's
words even if you have no previous knowledge of the Tao Te Ching.
SkyLight Illuminations provides insightful yet unobtrusive
commentary that describes helpful historical background, explains
the Tao Te Ching's poetic imagery, and elucidates the ancient
Taoist wisdom that will speak to your life today and energize your
spiritual quest.
In these lectures Steiner deals with the experiences of the human
soul during and after death. On the basis of precise clairvoyant
observations, he describes the events experienced during the
millennium of the soul's journey within the vast realms of soul and
spirit between death and rebirth. Steiner describes the states of
consciousness experienced by our deceased loved ones and how we-by
considering their new consciousness-can communicate with them and
even help them. Reading these descriptions, it becomes clear that
excarnated souls need the spiritual support of those presently
incarnated, and that those still on earth, in turn, derive
enlightenment and support from their former earthly companions.
An unabridged edition (with photographs) to include: Wherein I Bow
to the Reader - A Prelude to the Quest - A Magician Out of Egypt -
I Meet A Messiah - The Anchorite of the Adyar River - The Yoga
Which Conquers Death - The Sage Who Never Speaks - With The
Spiritual Head of South India - The Hill of the Holy Beacon - Among
The Magicians And Holy Men - The Wonder-Worker of Benares - Written
in the Stars - The Garden of the Lord - At the Parsee Messiah's
Headquarters - A Strange Encounter - In a Jungle Hermitage -
Tablets of Forgotten Truth
Discover the spiritually incisive strategies for peacefully
resolving conflictin this masterpiece of military strategy.Written
2,500 years ago by Chinese general Sun Tzu, The Art of War is a
poetic and potent treatise on military strategy still in use in war
colleges around the world. Yet its principles transcend warfare and
have practical applications to all the conflicts and crises we face
in our lives - in our workplaces, our families, even within
ourselves.Thomas Huynh guides you through Sun Tzu's masterwork,
highlighting principles that encourage a perceptive and spiritual
approach to conflict, enabling you to:* Prevent conflicts before
they arise* Peacefully and quickly resolve conflicts when they do
arise* Act with courage, intelligence and benevolence in
adversarial situations* Convert potential enemies into friends*
Control your emotions before they control youNow you can experience
the effectiveness of Sun Tzu's teachings even if you have no
previous knowledge of The Art of War. Insightful yet unobtrusive
facing - page commentary explains the subtleties of the text,
allowing you to unlock the power of its teachings and help prevent
and resolve the conflicts in your own life.
Swami Vivekananda was born on 12th January 1863 and died on 4th
July 1902. He was also known as Narendra Nath Datta. He was a firm
advocate of Vendatta Philosophies and Yoga. He was a disciple of
Guru Ramakrishna and founded Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna
Mission. Karma-Yoga Karma in its Effect on Character Each is great
in his own place The Secret of Work What is Duty? We help
ourselves, not the world Non-attachment is complete self-abnegation
Freedom The Ideal of Karma-Yoga
Fascinating stories of Himalayan Mystics and real life experiences
of the author with one of them - Babaji of Nainital District in the
Himalayas
About the Contributor(s): James M. Robinson is Professor of
Religion Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University, where he was
founder and director of the Institute for Antiquity and
Christianity. As permanent secretary of UNESCO's International
Committee for the Nag Hammadi Codices, he edited The Coptic Gnostic
Library, reprinted in five volumes (2000); among his many other
publications is Language, Hermeneutic, and History.
11 lectures, Hamburg May 16-28, 1910 (CW 120) Why do people
en-counter such different events and circumstances in life? What is
behind diseases, accidents, and natural disasters? Rudolf Steiner
speaks of karma as a reality that, if we understand it, answers the
questions that arise as we begin to look seriously for life's
meaning and purpose. We create our own karma in every area of
existence, laying the foundation in one incarnation for the next.
The whole pattern is not contained in one but in many lives on
earth. Steiner tells us that we can gain acceptance and a sense of
purpose by recognizing that self-induced karma is always in the
process of being resolved. About karma and animals; health and
illness; the curability and incurability of diseases; accidents;
volcanoes, earthquakes, and epidemics; the karma of higher beings;
free will in the future of human evolution; and individual and
shared karma. "By exploring the more hidden aspects of a whole
range of life phenomena in the light of the evolution of our planet
Rudolf Steiner raises our consciousness to the vital role we play
in helping or hindering the powers which serve the world's
evolvement" (from the foreword). This book is a translation from
German of Die Offenbarung des Karma (Ga 120).
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